Drake takes No. 1 on Billboard 200 for third biggest sales week this year

Estimates were a little bigger than the reality, but Drake still bows with big numbers this week for ‘Take Care,” enough for a No. 1 start on The Billboard 200. His sophomore Cash Money set moved 631,000 copies, the third largest sales week for an album this year. His first effort “Thank Me Later” also took the summit when it bowed with 447,000 last year.

The two albums to sell more were Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” with 1.1 million and Drake’s labelmate and mentor Lil Wayne with “Tha Carter IV,” with 964,000.

Andrea Bocelli bows at No. 4 with “Concerto: One Night in Central Park,” which racked up 87,000.

Justin Bieber’s “Under the Mistletoe” ascends No. 6 to No. 5 (84,000, -13%). Another holiday effort, “Glee, the Music: The Christmas Album, Volume 2” starts at No. 6 with 71,000. The first edition started at No. 8, but with 161,000.

After five years as a columnist and editor at Billboard, Katie Hasty joined HitFix in 2009 for music and film reporting out of New York. The Midwest native has worked as a writer, music promoter and in A&R since 1999 and performs with her band Numbers And Letters.